A Montessori-Style Children's Room
Even if you ate 16 kilograms of walnuts throughout your entire pregnancy and limited your guilty pleasures to nothing but crunchy organic carrots, you’re still wondering what else you can do to help your baby develop better. This is where Maria Montessori comes in, with her principles for supporting the development of young children. Today I wanted to focus on decorating a child's room according to Montessori principles. There is really only one main rule—a parent’s job is to provide their child with an environment where they can safely grow and discover their passions.
It all sounds great, but what kind of hobbies could a one-week-old newborn possibly have?? Of course, aside from waking up every two hours at night and crying—especially in public places? Fortunately, the Montessori approach works not only for such young children—a room set up for a one-week-old baby will also work for a three-year-old.
Bed
According to the Montessori method, a toddler's crib should be placed close to the floor (with the mattress at the lowest possible level) so that the baby can sleep safely and roll from side to side without fear of falling out. When he gets older, he should be able to get in and out of the crib on his own—features like removable slats or a removable side panel, such as those found in the Troll Sun Natur model, are a welcome addition hereal.
According to Montessori, it's also a good idea to simply place the mattress on the floor. If you decide to go with this option, it’s worth investing in a good mattress that will keep your child from sweating and allow their spine to rest (after a whole day of lying down, of course), such as the Air Sleep mattress by Alvi.
Shelves
If we want to raise a smart child (or give ourselves a quarter of an hour of peace and quiet), the shelves in the child's room should be at the level of the child's hands. You can arrange books on the shelves so that their covers are visible. That way, we'll be able to drink coffee while our child enjoys their little library. The "Clouds" shelves by Lamps&Co are perfect for storing books.
You can also place baskets of toys on the shelves so that your child has easy access to them. Play&Go cotton bags or Childhome felt bags work well here. Everything is designed so that a child can safely reach for any toy on their own without the risk of something falling on their head.
Rug
To make a room cozy, there should be a rug or a blanket on the floor. Since I’m a fan of simple patterns even in kids’ rooms (which means “no” to Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig), the leaf patterns on Lorena Canals’ rugs have stolen my heart. While you're at it, you can kill two birds with one stone, because according to Montessori, nature should also be present in the room. I don't really get along with nature, and all the flowers I've ever had at home have long since gone to botanical heaven, which is why I think a monstera on the rug is the perfect solution.